Cian O'Connor loses appeal over Olympic qualification

Horse Sport Ireland and Cian O'Connor have failed in their appeal to overturn the results of the FEI European Jumping Championships in Germany last summer.

The team event, which counted as a qualification event for this summer's Olympic Games saw Ireland lose out on a place in Brazil by 0.380 points. The appeal was centred on Cian O'Connor's run in the event, where a member of the arena staff ran out on front of O'Connor and his horse.

O'Connor was on course for a clear round before the incident. At the very next jump, the dropped a pole, which was crucial to Ireland missing out on a place at Rio.

Despite appeals at the event in Germany, and to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, O'Connor and HSI brought their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and today found out the appeal was not successful.

"The appeal filed on 11 September 2015 by Horse Sport Ireland and Cian O’Connor against the decision rendered by the FEI Appeal Committee on 22 August 2015 is dismissed and the FEI decision is confirmed.

The arbitration concerned a protest lodged by Horse Sport Ireland and Cian O’Connor following an incident during the team final at the FEI European Jumping Championships held in Aachen, Germany in August 2015, which counted as final qualifying event for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The incident involved a member of the ground staff during O’Connor’s round. The FEI Appeal Committee’s decision of 22 August 2015 confirmed an earlier decision taken by the Ground Jury at the Aachen championships in which the protest lodged by the Irish team was dismissed and a ruling was given that the results obtained on the course that day would stand."